In-jokes and references
Blizzard has included many in-jokes and pop-culture references in various forms throughout WoW. ;See also: * Easter Eggs * There is no cow level * List of Pop culture references in Warcraft * Blizzplanet list of WoW easter eggs - http://www.blizzplanet.com/?action=Content&pa=showpage&pid=91 Characters A-Me 01 *A-Me 01, a robotic gorilla, is named after the gorilla (Amy) from the book Congo by Michael Crichton. A quest featuring the very same robotic gorilla is named after a Kevin Smith movie, Chasing Amy by Mirimax Films. Alchemist Fuely and Alchemist Cuely * Alchemists Fuely and Cuely are located in The Apothecarium of the Undercity. Their names are a reference to the anime series FLCL, or 'Fooly Cooly'. Alessandro Luca *In the Undercity there is an NPC named Alessandro Luca standing in the Blue Moon Odds and Ends shop. This is a reference from the Swedish name for Gladstone Gander in the Donald Duck series, Alexander Lukas. Algernon *In the Undercity there is an NPC named Algernon. In his right hand he is holding flowers, a reference to Daniel Keyes' short story "Flowers for Algernon" written in 1960. Auctioneers * There is an Auctioneer O'reely in Booty Bay and an Auctioneer Yarly in the Undercity which refers to the popular "Orly" owls. Bankers * The three bankers in Stormwind are named after the lead female actor in the movie 'Grease' - Olivia Newton John. * The male bankers in Ironforge are named for the legendary Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus, while Cirque du Soleil provides the name of the female banker. * The bankers in the Undercity have names which reference William Shakespeare. They share the last name Montague, a reference to Romeo and Juliet, it being the first title character's last name. Their First names however are the main characters' names from the Eddie Murphy movie Trading Places with Dan Akroyd. Blaze Runner * An elite elemental at the top of the mountain in the center of Ungoro Crater, his name may likely be paying homage to the science fiction classic "Blade Runner." Bloodlord Mandokir *The boss Bloodlord Mandokir sometimes says "Ding!" (and occasionally receives a reply of "Grats!" from Jin'do) when he "levels up" while you're fighting him. This exchange is of course familiar to anyone who's ever been in a guild. Clarice Foster *Near the entrance to the Pools of Vision in Thunder Bluff is an NPC named Clarice Foster, an amalgamation of two names - Jodie Foster and Clarice Starling, the character she played in Silence of the Lambs. Colonel Kurzen *Colonel Kurzen is a reference to fictitious Colonel Kurtz in the early 20th Century novel, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. That novel and character in also the basis for Apocalypse Now & Colonel Walter E. Kurtz, who has retreated to a camp in the Jungle. Dagun *In the quest "The Star, The Heart, and The Hand", players are employed to slay a sea giant called Dagun, which is a reference to the H.P. Lovecraft short story Dagon Doctor Herbert Halsey *In Undercity the expert alchemy trainer is named Doctor Herbert Halsey. This is a reference to two key characters: Herbert West and Dr. Halsey, in the pulp horror novel The Reanimator by H. P. Lovecraft. In the book Herbert West creates an alchemical substance that can reanimate dead tissue. Dran Droffers and Malton Droffers *These two orcs who run a salvage shop in Orgrimmar are based on characters from the show Sanford and Son. They resemble Fred Sanford and his son Lamont (as much as a couple of orcs can, anyway), and Dran Droffers talks and acts like Fred Sanford, who ran a junk dealership similar to his. Finally, "Dran Droffers" is an anagram of "Fred Sanford" and "Malton" of "Lamont". Finkle Einhorn *Finkle Einhorn is a mob in Upper Blackrock Spire. He's a reference to Ace Ventura, Pet Detective. Franklin Lloyd *In Undercity there is an engineer named Franklin Lloyd, an homage to the famous architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. Gammerita *An elite turtle in the Hinterlands, the focus of two quests, is named Gammerita, a slight twist on the legendary turtle monster of Godzilla fame, Gamera. Grimlock *One of the mini-bosses found in the instance Uldaman, Grimlok is a trogg whose name is derived from the Tyranosaurus Rex transformer of the same name. He even says a line which the transformer says in "Transformers: The Movie" - that line being "Me Grimlock king!". Hemet Nesingwary *This world-class hunter's name Hemet Nesingwary comes from rearranging the letters in Ernest Hemingway's name. His companions S. J. Erlgadin and Ajeck Rouack are anagrams of J.D. Salinger and Jack Kerouac, respectively. Nesingwary's book, "The Green Hills of Stranglethorn", references Hemingway's "Green Hills of Africa". Hin Denburg *At the zep tower for Undercity, one of the goblins is named Hin Denburg, a reference to The Hindenburg(Lz-129) that blew up at Lakehurst, New Jersey, on 5/6/1937. Edward and Tyler *In Undercity, there are two NPCs named Edward and Tyler fighting. This references Fight Club, the 1996 novel by Chuck Palahniuk, later made into a movie starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. (Edward of course refers to Edward Norton and Tyler refers to Tyler Durden played by Brad Pitt). Jungle Book *In Stranglethorn Vale, the elite panther Bag'theera is a direct reference to the Jungle Book's black panther Bagheera. Larion and Muigin *At Marshal's Refuge, there are two characters named Larion and Muigin, a reference to Mario and Luigi. One is short and dressed in red, and the other is tall and dressed in green. Lieutenant General Andorov *When the Rajaxx event begins in the Ruins of Ahn'Qiraj, Lieutenant General Andorov says "Remember, Rajaxx, when I said I'd kill you last? I lied..." This is a reference to a line from the Arnold Schwartzenegger movie Commando. Lifelike Mechanical Toad *The Lifelike Mechanical Toad is a reference to Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. The novel is the basis for the movie "Blade Runner," but the toad is a reference to the novel, not the movie. In the novel, a lone android toad is discovered in a barren wasteland. And in WoW, you can learn how to make one. Linken *Also at Marshal's Refuge is a gnome dressed in green named Linken. He's clearly a reference to Link from the Legend of Zelda games. As quest rewards, he gives you a boomerang plus the option for a sword, both signature weapons from the game. Master Smith Burninate *Located in Thorium Point. The word "Burninate" is an online joke that has been popular ever since the episode of Strongbad with Trogdor the Burninator. Maws *Maws is a giant shark boss that players fight as part of the Ahn'Qiraj Scepter quest line. The name is a reference to the movie Jaws. Nat Pagle *Nat Pagle is named after Blizzard staff member Pat Nagle. Oglethorpe Obnoticus *Oglethorpe Obnoticus is a reference to the cartoon Aqua Teen Hunter Force. One of its characters is an alien named Oglethorpe, who consults a disco ball named Obnoticus for guidance. (Thottbot) O'Reilly * In addition to the Goblin Auctioneers, there is also a white owl named O'Reilly flying around Narain Soothfancy's hut in Northeastern Tanaris. As mentioned this is a reference to the O Rly owl. Ossirian the Unscarred *Ossirian the Unscarred sometimes speaks lines from the Terminator movies. Patrick Garrett *In Undercity at the inn, the questgiver Patrick Garrett is a reference to the 1973 movie Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid. Remy "Two Times" *Remy "Two Times", NPC in Goldshire, is named after Jimmy "Two Times" - a charecter of Martin Scorsese's "Goodfellas". They both occasianally repeat some parts of their sentences twice. Spraggle Frock *A character is named Spraggle Frock, a reference to the show Fraggle Rock. Sprock, Scooty and Jhordy Lapforge *The two goblins that operate the transporter that takes you from Gnomeregan to Booty Bay (and vice versa) are named Sprok and Scooty, a reference to Spock and Scotty from Star Trek. Theres also another transporter operator in Gadgetzan named Jhordy Lapforge, this time a reference to the chief engineer in Start Trek: The Next Generation, Geordi La Forge. Stephen Ryback and Erika Tate *In Stormwind, the cooking trainer and supplier are named Stephen Ryback and Erika Tate, respectively. These NPCs are references to the movie Under Siege, in which Steven Seagal played a cook named Casey Ryback, and Erika Eleniak played Jordan Tate. Techbot *Techbot in Gnomeregan says things the support department would say. It also spawns a critter named "Dupe Bug", a reference to a Diablo II bug. Some of his other spells include "Battlenet" (a snare) and "Lag" (a slowing effect). Thor *In Westfall the gryphon master is named Thor. He is a reference to Thor, the Norse god of thunder. Thunderaan *Many of the things that Thunderaan says are actual quotes from Mike Tyson. Tomas *In Goldshire there is a low level Cooking trainer named Tomas. This is a reference to the well-known UK-based tour operator Thomas Cook. Topper McNabb *One of the things panhandler Topper McNabb in Stormwind says is "I will gladly pay you on Tuesday for a hamburger today." The character of Wimpy in the Popeye cartoons often said this. Torta and Tooga *Torta and Tooga are turtles found in Tanaris. The names refer to Tortuga, which in Spanish means turtle or tortoise. Tortuga is also the name of a Pirate haven in the Carribean during the mid 17th to the late 17th century. Popularised in the movie "Pirates of the Carribean; The Curse of the Black Pearl". A reference to make light of the proximity to the pirates of the Coast south of Torta. Winstone Wolfe *In Ravenholdt Manor (which is a rogue-specific destination), there is a well dressed but fierce-looking man named Winstone Wolfe. This is a reference to the movie 'Pulp Fiction', which has a character named Winston Wolf, who is a well dressed, fierce-looking character with some roguish tendencies. Williden and Hol'anyee Marshal *Hol'anyee Marshal and Williden Marshal, two NPCs found in Marshal's Refuge, the main quest point of Un'Goro Crater, are references to Holly Marshall and Will Marshall, two main characters of the 1974 television series, Land of the Lost. Quests So many quest titles are in-jokes or references of some form or another that they require their own sub-category! All Along the Watchtowers *Quest in Western Plaguelands, reference to a song by Bob Dylan, made famous by Jimi Hendrix. Triage / Alliance Trauma (First Aid) *Dying soldiers sometimes quote Pink Floyd's Goodbye Cruel Word ("Goodbye cruel world... I'm leaving you today..."). Chasing A-ME 01 *Quest in Un'goro Crater to find the mechanical gorilla, reference to the movie Chasing Amy. (The dialogue of the robotic ape also references the movie Congo.) Cure for Harpies *One of the Quest rewards for killing Serena Bloodfeather in the Barrens is the Zhovur Axe. Zovirax is a tradename treatment for the most common form of herpes, herpes simplex. Everything Counts in Large Amounts *A quest located in the Blasted Lands is a line of the chorus in the Depeche Mode song "Everything Counts". Gnome Improvement *A quest in Gnomeregan has the name Gnome Improvement which might be a reference towards the popular mid-90's show called "Home Improvement" featuring Tim Allen and more. Houses of the Holy *Quest in the Eastern Plaguelands named after the classic Led Zeppelin song. Roll The Bones *A quest in Un'goro Craterto find dinosaur bones, which is referencing the Rush song "Roll The Bones" (the title track of their 1991 album.) Along with this, the World of Warcraft credits say "Happy 30th RUSH", as the game was released in 2004 and Rush's debut self-titled album was released in 1974. Staghelm's Requiem *In the Alliance quest Staghelm's Requiem, Athramanis wants the player to kill troll players in the Alterac Valley battleground and "...return to me with their mojo. To reiterate: I want you to steal their mojo." In the second Austin Powers movie, Dr. Evil stole Austin's mojo. The Scrimshank Redemption *Quest in Tanaris, reference to "The Shawshank Redemption" Top Gun *Alterac Valley Wing Commander names Guse, Jeztor, Mulverick, Slidore, Vipore and Ichman are references to Top Gun- movie character names Goose, Jester, Maverick, Slider, Viper, and Iceman. Welcome to the Jungle *Quest in Stranglethorn Vale, Probably a reference to the song by Guns & Roses. (Thottbot) When Smokey Sings, I Get Violent *Quest in the Eastern Plaguelands, referencing the song "When Smokey Sings (I Hear Violins)", a tribute to singer Smokey Robinson. Thottbot Locations A Tailor to Cities *In Booty Bay there is a tailor shop named "A Tailor to Cities", a reference to Charles Dicken's novel "A Tale of Two Cities" Crystal Lake *Near Goldshire there is a lake named "Crystal Lake", with an NPC named Jason nearby. This is a reference to the popular horror movie series "Friday the 13th", and its homicidal antagonist, Jason Voorhees. Un'Goro Crater *The entire zone contains many references to the tv show "Land of the Lost". The entire zone is filled with dinosaurs. Crystals and special Pylons can be found throughout the zone, another feature of the tv show. The name of the Un'Goro Crater is a reference to the real-life Ngorogoro Crater, a region formed by an ancient meteor impact in southern Africa, home to the greatest biodiversity on Earth outside of the South American rain forests. The region is ultimately a reference to Sir Arthur Connan Doyle's The Lost World, a novel about Professor Challanger's second expedition into a mysterious land filled with dinosaurs. Items Angelista's items *Angelista is listed in the "Special Thanks" section of the WoW credits, and is most likely a friend or relative of a Blizzard staff member. She's had 3 items named after her: Angelista's Charm, Angelista's Grasp, and Angelista's Touch. There also is a shop in Stratholme (you can't enter) that used to belong to a person named Angelista as you can read her name on the shield hanging atop the former entrance. Empty Barrel *You can sometimes receive Empty Barrels (tb) as loot from the thunderers and stompers in the northeast of Un'Goro, which is a reference to Donkey Kong. Linken's Sword and Boomerang *The gnome, Linken, offers two rewards at the end of his rather long quest-line: **Linken`s Sword of Mastery: In the 'Legend of Zelda' games, it was common to take a weak or powerless sword and to travel all over the world in a quest to restore its power in order to defeat some evil power. The name is a reversal of the common name for Link's sword, "The Master Sword." **Linken's Boomerang: Another common feature is a boomerang, used to stun or disable enemies, or collect far away objects. The 1 Ring *The 1 Ring is clearly a reference to "The One Ring" from the Lord of the Rings books. "The One Ring" was discovered at the bottom of a river by Smeagol (later Gollum) and his brother while fishing. The 1 Ring is a random low-level fishing drop. (Thottbot) The Emperor's New Cape The final boss of Blackrock Depths is named Emperor Dagran Thaurissan and drops a cape called "The Emperor's New Cape" that up untill 1.9 didnt have any graphics which is a refrence to the story called "The Emperor's New Clothes" by H.C Andersen where a greedy and more or less stupid emperor gets a new outfit that only the noble and worthy people can see, or at least he is told. He doesn't want to make himself to look ignoble or unworthy, so he pretends that he can see the clothes. The next day on a parade he walks in his new threads. A child notices that he is naked and points that out. In the end, he realizes that the clothes that only worthy people could see are in fact no clothes at all. (Thottbot) The Light And How To Swing It The Paladin book for the Dire Maul class trinket is named The Light and How to Swing It. A 1994 album by lounge singer Tom Jones is titled The Lead And How To Swing It. Malown's Slam Malown's Slam, a hammer which drops off Postmaster Malown in Stratholme, is a reference to former NBA star Karl "The Mailman" Malone. Runn Tum Tuber Surprise Runn Tum Tuber Surprise is a reference to, The Rum Tum Tugger, one of the cats in T.S Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and the musical Cats. Silly Gnome Female *One of the gnome female's "/silly" slash commands results in the her saying: "Some day, I hope to find the nuggets on a chicken." This is most likely a reference to the well-known McDonald's Chicken McNugget food item. This also may be a reference to the Carl's Jr. franchises popular commericals asking where one would find the nuggets on a chicken. Gnome Male *A "/flirt" slash command if you are playing as a male gnome sometimes makes your character say "I like large posteriors and I cannot prevaricate." This verbosely paraphrases the opening line of one hit wonder Sir Mix-a-lot's single hit, Baby Got Back: "I like big butts and I cannot lie." Human Male *One of the human male's "/silly" slash commands results in the following statement: "So, I have this idea for a great movie. It's about two gnomes who find a bracelet of power, and they have to take it to the Burning Steppes and cast it into the Cauldron. They form the Brotherhood of the Bracelet. Along the way they're trailed by a murloc named Gottum, who's obsessed with the bracelet, and nine bracelet boogeymen. It could be a three parter, called 'Ruler of the Bracelet'. The first part would be called 'The Brotherhood of the Bracelet', followed by 'A Couple of Towers', with a climactic ending called 'Hey, the King's Back!'" J.R.R. Tolkien is turning in his grave. ** This may also be a nod to the Simpsons episode Sweet Seymour Skinner's Baadasssss Song, in which Skinner says "Now I...I finally have time to do what I've always wanted: write the great American novel. Mine is about a futuristic amusement park where dinosaurs are brought to life through advanced cloning techniques. I call it "Billy and the Cloneasaurus." Human Female One of the human female's "/silly" slash commands results in the following statment: "I can't wait until this quest is done and I can look for another Garibaldi artifact." A reference to Alias, with Sydney Bristow always looking for Rambaldi artifacts. Also Garibaldi was the name of Babylon 5’s chief of security. Orc Male *Male orc "/silly" slash command: "It's not easy being green." This is the title of a song performed by Kermit the Frog. Tauren Female *"/silly" slash command: "In my native tongue, my name is Dances with Tassels." A reference to the Kevin Costner movie Dances with Wolves. *"Happy Taurens come from Mulgore." The Milk Advisory Board's commercials included the slogan "happy cows come from California." Troll Male *As is pointed out on the Joke page, male troll's "/silly" slash command about killing two dwarves similar to Smoke Two Joints by The Toyes. Having a troll paraphrase a reggae song is in keeping with their similarity to Jamaicans (or at least stereotypes of them). [This has been removed by a recent patch due to Copyright infringement] Games and Movies Austin Powers There is a cat criter in the new Naxxramas instance named Mr. Bigglesworth. If you kill it, Kel'Thuzad (himself) will yell "No!!! A curse upon you, interlopers! The armies of the Lich King will hunt you down. You will not escape your fate..." apparently he really liked that cat. This is a reference to Dr. Evil's cat of the same name from the Austin Powers movies. Forrest Gump In Stormwind, there is a flower shop named Fragrant Flowers just east of the Trade District, on the canal between it and Old Town. The man who runs it is named Bernard Gump. Just beneath his name is the title ; Thus, his full title is "Florist Gump", a pun on the name Forrest Gump. Ghostbusters *In the Mage Quarter in Stormwind there are three mages sitting in a circle having an extended conversation. Eventually one of them will say “wouldn’t that be bad, like crossing the streams bad?”, a reference to the movie "Ghost Busters". *Egan's Blaster is a ranged-slot item used in the quest The Restless Souls that starts in Eastern Plaguelands. "Use Egan's Blaster on the ghostly and spectral citizens of Stratholme. When the restless spirits break free from their ghostly shells, use the blaster again - freedom will be theirs!" *One of the soldiers stationed at Chillwind Point complains that his job "definitely isn't worth another five thou-a year!" In the movie "Ghostbusters", Winston Zeddmore (Ernie Hudson) says the same thing when his team votes for almost certain death to save the world (while fighing the undead, as it were.) *In the mage-specific quests Investigate the Alchemist Shop (Horde) and Investigate the Blue Recluse (Alliance), the player is asked to search an area for ghosts, fight them, and trap them in "containment coffers." Krull At Onyxia's Lair, in the first lava pool you come to on the right side, you can find a floating star shaped glaive and next to it a charred skeleton. A reference to the 80's scifi-fantasy movie Krull in which the powerful glaive weapon was found in a flowing river of lava in a dragon's cave. Nintendo Games *Un'Goro crater is filled with references to old Nintendo games: ** Linken, and the quests he sends players on, are references to the "Legend of Zelda" series, and its protagonist, Link. ** The kodo beast, Dadanga, is a refernce to the very first 'Legend of Zelda' game. One of the early bosses is a triceratops who is weak against bombs. The old man who gives you hints on how to progress says, "Dodongo dislikes smoke.", a trait shared by Dadanga. ** Larion and Muigin, two dwarves, are an amalgam of the characters Mario and Luigi. They are both dressed in overalls of color similar to how Mario and Luigi are dressed in the 'Super Mario Brothers' games. The use of fighting Bloodpetals in their quests refers to Nintendo's original business (dating back to 1889), printing traditional Japanese playing cards called Hanafuda used for a game sometimes known as War of Flowers. Old School During the Horde quest to get 300 First Aid one of the dying soldiers refers to seeing "Blue" which is similar to a Will Ferrell line from the movie. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai In The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai (1984), scientists develop a way for a rocket car to pass through solid matter (a mountain). In Thousand Needles not far from the raceway, near the path to Tanaris, you can see skid marks that lead into the side of the mountain. In Tanaris, on the opposite side of the mountain just west of Gadgetzan, the skid marks continue and lead to the crashed wreckage of a rocket car. In the movie, this scene took place on salt flats exactly like Shimmering Flats. Star Wars: Episode One: Phantom Menace (See above for an alternative theory on this reference.) If one inspects the racers in the Shimmering Flats, there is a distinct resemblence to the podracers piloted by Anakin Skywalker and Sebulba. Follow the racers around the track to find skidmarks leading away, towards a cliff face. The racer similar to Sebulba's can be found about halfway up, crashed and swinging on the side of the cliff. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi In the Priest specific quest text for 52 Blood of Morphaz, Ogtinc or Greta Mosshoof (depending on your faction) will inform you that, "The green drake Morphaz is known to be immune to all forms of poison and disease -- many druids died to bring us this information." This is a reference to the quote made by Mon Mothma in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: "Many Bothans died to bring us this information." The Princess Bride Upon touching the globe that completes the attunement quest for Blackwing Lair, adventurers are greeted with quest completion text that reads "Have fun storming the castle!". This a quote of Billy Crystal's character Miracle Max. In UBRS, during the Rend event, adventurers succesfully defeating waves of enemies are treated to Nefarian crying "Inconceivable!" This is a repeated quote of Wallace Shawn's character, Vizzini, the Sicilian mastermind. Ace Ventura: Pet Detective Finkle's Skinner is listed as property of Finkle Einhorn, alluding the revelation in Ace Ventura "Finkle is Einhorn! Einhorn is Finkle!" Category:Blizzard Entertainment Category:Lore Category:Silly